Meeusen Crashes but Wins U23’s in Kalmthout – Updated: Photo Gallery

Kalmthout, Belgium – Just as frigid Belgium was digging out from a paralyzing snowstorm earlier in the week, Kalmthout, the site of today’s World Cup race, picked up several more inches of snow overnight. So an already challenging course was made even more difficult by some of the snowiest conditions Belgium has seen in several years. And it was snow that played the decisive role in today’s non-World Cup Under-23 race, where Belgian Tom Meeusen recovered from a fall on a snow-slick turn to steal another win in international competition. Meeusen, who has been on a tear the past few months, dominating the Under-23 racing scene and taking second place in Friday’s Scheldecross over an elite field, shot quickly to the front of the race. And it looked like Meeusen would ride to another easy victory before he fell in the slick conditions and lost some twenty seconds midway through the 45-minute race.

From there, what had been the chase group, featuring Belgian Champion Vincent Baestaens and Jim Aernouts among others, took over the lead. But Aernouts attacked, opening a gap that looked insurmountable, before Meeusen stormed back to the front of the race. Meeusen and Aernouts rode together for most of the final lap before Aernouts bobbled himself, allowing Meeusen to pull away for a solo finish.

US National Champion Danny Summerhill, fresh off a U23 victory in Lichtervelde, Belgium, started strong, riding inside the top ten early in the race before falling back after a trip to the pits with several laps to go.

Stay tuned to cxmagazine.com for more, including complete results and photos.

Read the magazine:

Join our Team!

Cyclocross MagazineAbout Us

Cyclocross Magazine is a print and digital magazine and website for the cyclocross community by cyclocross racers. We’re based on community-contributed content, which means we welcome content submissions from anyone and prioritize representing all aspects of the sport of cyclocross, from the most grass-roots scene to the highest professional level of the sport.